The present invention relates to track systems for tracked vehicles, and, more particularly, to the idlers of such tracked systems.
Farmers utilize a wide variety of vehicles and implements, among them are vehicles having tracked drive systems. A tracked drive is a system of vehicle propulsion in which a continuous band of treads is driven by two or more wheels. This band is typically made of modular steel plates, in the case of military vehicles and construction equipment, or rubber reinforced with steel wires in the case of agricultural or lighter construction vehicles. The large surface area of the track distributes the weight of the vehicle better than wheels on an equivalent vehicle, enabling a continuous tracked vehicle to traverse soft ground with superior traction and less likelihood of becoming stuck.
Often, a reinforced rubber track belt with chevron treads is used. In comparison to steel tracks, rubber track belts are lighter, make less noise, create less maximal ground pressure and do not damage paved roads. Generally rubber track belts are formed around a basic carcass or belt. The carcass includes an endless belt-shaped rubber-like elastic member, a number of core bars, which can be made of metal, can be embedded therein and aligned and extend in traverse direction of the track. Steel cords, which serve as tension-resistant members may be embedded in the endless elastic member to surround the core bars.
Alignment of rubber track belts is difficult on all tracked vehicles. This is especially the case on combine harvesters where heavy loads are put on the tracks. Different alignment solutions exist, to align the rubber belts on all vehicles and different track undercarriages. If the alignment of the rubber belts is not done properly, this leads to severely reduced lifetime of the rubber belts and potential early replacement which is an expensive cost. Additional consequential damages may occur from an improperly aligned rubber belt such as failing rollers or idlers. For all existing track undercarriages, the process of aligning the track belts is a very sensitive and lengthy process which requires some experience of the operator with tracked systems.
What is needed in the art is a way to minimize the sensitivity of rubber track systems to misalignment and to improve the self-aligning characteristics of such rubber track systems subject to forces that cause misalignment.